Ball catcher



April 5 1927' w. H. JONES ET AL BALL CATCHER Filed June 22. 1926 V`Patented Apr. 5, 1927. v

UNITED STATES i PATENT OFFICE.

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appunti@ :iai :ne 22, 192s. serial 110.117,772.

This invention relates to improvements in ball catchersdesigned to be used upon sucker rods in Vwell pumping. The device 1s primarily designed to be used lin coniunctlon with the suckerrod couplings disc osed 1n application Serial No. 82,220, liled January 19, 1926, by lVilliam H. Jones.

An object of this invention 1s to provide a device adapted to be mounted upon the lower end of a sucker rod a short distance above the pump plunger which will catch the broken or loosened balls which maybecome detached or fall out of the sucker rod couplings disclosed in the above mentioned application. I

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of relatively cheapA and simple yet durable construction whic will catch articles 'which may fall in a well about the sucker and prevent them from reaching the pump, which might cause damage to the pump barrel or plunger. l n

A further object of this invention is to provide a device which will catch articles falling in a Well about a sucker rod preventing them from reaching the pump which will enable the fluid pumped by the pump to readily pass therethrough.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will be made manifest in the following detailed description and specifically pointed out in the appended claim, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein- Figure 1 is a sectional view through a pump tube illustrating the improved ball catcherin applied position therein,

Fig. 2 is atop plan view of the ball catcher, and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, the pump tube is indicated at 10, in which there is lcated the conventional pump plunger 11 adapted to be reciprocated by a sucker rod 12. The couplings for the sucker rod as disclosed in the above' mentioned application have vertical grooves 13 provided thereon, in which a plurality of balls are disposed. The balls 14 on engagement with the interior of the pump tube form an anti-friction bearing, which reduces the friction between the couplings for the sucker preferably threaded at both rod sections and the pump tube. They also serve to prevent the pump tube 10 from being worn through by the sucker rod couplings, and furt ermore prevent the sucker rod couplings from becoming worn, thus preventing the sucker rod sections from separating while in the well hole.

The improved device is indicated generally at 15 and is in the form of a rod 16 ends, so that it may be readily attached to the sucker rod as by couplings 17 at the bottom of the sucker rod. It consists of an open topped cup 18 through which the rod 16 extends, the rod being threaded through the bottom 19 of the cup, as clearly shown upon the drawing, the bottom 19 of the cup is relatively thick so that this bottom can be made the sole means for fastening the cup to the rod, the bottom being relatively thick will firmly hold the cup on the rod and eliminates any bracing of Ithe cup near its top so that the top of the cup is entirely openaround the rod. AV plurality of apertures 20 are formed in the bottom of the cup providing for the upward passage of Huid therethrough. The sides of the cup are also preferably perforated as indicated at 21,'-so that the iiuid may pass through the perforations 'into the cup. As clearly shown upon Fig. 1 the external diameter of the cup is slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the pump tube, there heilig a clearance preferably of about one-eighth inch. In the event that the balls 14 vduring the reciprocation of the-sucker rod should become worn or broken and fall outrof their respective grooves 13, these balls or parts thereof on falling within the pump tube about the sucker rod will be caught by the cup and will be prevented from falling on top of the pump plunger 11. In this manner the improved ball catcher will serve to catclrballs or fragments of balls or any other small articles which ma fall within the pump tube about the sucker rod and prevent them from falling on top of the pump,l which might cause damage to the pump. From the above described construction it will be readily appreciated that the improved ball catcher is of cheap and simple yet durable construction and may be readily applied to a sucker rod. It will, of course, be understood that the use of the improved ballcatcher is not limited to the particular sucker rod having the special couplings employed, but it maybe used on any of sucker rod which is provided with construction which may break or fall down within the pump tube.

It will be understood that various changes ma be made in the detail of construction wi out departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claim.

We claim: 0

In a deep well pump wherein there 1s a pump tube, a reciprocable plunger and a sucker rod for reciprocating the plunger, a device of the class described comprising a. cylindrical cup having a relatively thick bottom, through which there are a plurality of inwardly and u wardly .inclined apertures, the walls of e cup being perforated and extending parallel to the walls of the tube throughout the entire portion of their length, the bottom having a. central a r' tureA through which the sucker ro is screwed, the outside diameter of the cup being slightly less than the internal diameter of the ump tube so as to prevent the cup assemb y from having frietional engagement with said pump tube, and the cup being located on the sucker rod a short distance above the plunger so as to catch articles falling in the pump tube, said cu being secured to the sucker rod onl by its ttom so as to leave its top comp etely open about the sucker rod.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

WILLIAM H. JONES.

A. EBERLE. 

